Monthly Archives: July 2016

There’s no shortage of predictions about how the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to revolutionize life as we know it. Everything from manufacturing to your coffee pot will be impacted by the influx of sensors and data in the coming years. Nowhere, perhaps, will the IoT have a bigger impact than the healthcare industry. According to Deloitte, within five years, the majority of clinically relevant data will be collected outside of clinical settings.

The IoT, where devices connect directly to data and to each other, is rapidly becoming the new normal. Wireless, sensor-based systems are already at work today and the healthcare industry is moving full-steam ahead towards new products and innovations. A report from MarketResearch.com states the healthcare IoT market is poised to hit $117 billion by 2020.

Below are four ways IoT will transform the medical industry:

More data – Advances in sensor and connectivity technology are allowing devices to collect, record and analyze data that was not previously accessible. In healthcare, this means being able to collect patient data over time that can be used to enable preventive care, allow prompt diagnosis of acute complications and promote understanding of how a therapy is helping improve a patient’s health.

More reliable results – For some, just the thought of going to the doctor is enough to induce beads of sweat and clammy hands. IoT helps to avoid skewed results from what’s often called “white coat fright.” The panic many feel when entering a doctor’s office can have an impact on blood pressure, heart rate readings and other tests. Wearable devices connected to the IoT provide results collected over a longer period, which could prove more accurate than results based on a single moment in time.

Improved outcomes – The shift towards a more fluid and relevant way of tracking overall patient health over time will offer a more holistic view of the patient. Wireless, sensor-based systems are already at work today, gathering patient medical data that was never before available for analysis and delivering care to people for whom care wasn’t previously accessible.

Fewer errors – The ability of devices to gather data on their own removes the limitations of human-entered data—automatically uploading the data medical professionals need, at the time and in the way they need it. The automation reduces the risk of error. Fewer errors can mean increased efficiency, lower costs and quality improvements in just about any industry. But it’s of particular need in healthcare, where accuracy can be the difference between life and death.

XYZ’s innovations will offer a range of customized information and reports, available via a mobile device, which can be sent directly to your medical professional or emergency contact. With these portable devices, the product is constantly monitoring and alerts you if there are abnormal readings. Recording becomes easy and personal health can be monitored in a more effective and systematic way.

IoT will continue to flourish in healthcare for the foreseeable future. Sooner than many imagine, we will likely reach a point where your car, clothing, devices and doctors work together so seamlessly to provide a view of overall health that it will be hard to imagine a time without the IoT.